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Diabetes treatment: Medications for type 2 diabetes
By Mayo Clinic staffHealthy lifestyle choices — including diet, exercise and weight control — are an important part of diabetes treatment. If you have type 2 diabetes, sometimes medication to control blood sugar is needed, too. Sometimes a single medication is effective. In other cases, a combination of medications works better.
Here's an at-a-glance comparison of various diabetes medications. Medications are listed in order of release date, from oldest to newest.
| Medication | How it's taken | Advantages | Disadvantages | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glipizide (Glucotrol) | By mouth | Combines well with other diabetes medications | May cause low blood sugar and weight gain | Low: $4 to $78 a month |
| Metformin (Fortamet, Glucophage, others) | By mouth | Doesn't cause weight gain; may decrease LDL ("bad") cholesterol and triglycerides | May cause nausea and diarrhea; rarely, may cause a harmful buildup of lactic acid (lactic acidosis) | Low: $4 to $100 a month |
| Glimepiride (Amaryl) | By mouth | Combines well with other diabetes medications | May cause low blood sugar and weight gain | Low: $4 to $40 a month |
| Rosiglitazone (Avandia) | By mouth | May slightly increase HDL ("good") cholesterol | May cause swelling and weight gain that leads to or worsens heart failure; may increase LDL ("bad") cholesterol and triglycerides; may increase risk of heart attack; rarely, may cause liver problems | High: $90 to $220 a month |
| Pioglitazone (Actos) | By mouth | May decrease triglycerides | May cause swelling and weight gain that leads to or worsens heart failure; may increase LDL ("bad") cholesterol; rarely, may cause liver problems | High: $90 to $250 a month |
| Pramlintide (Symlin) | By injection | May promote weight loss | Can't be taken at the same time as oral medications or mixed with insulin in the same syringe; may cause nausea | High: $200 to $400 a month |
| Exenatide (Byetta) | By injection | May promote weight loss | May cause nausea; rarely, may cause harmful inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis) | High: $100 to $200 a month |
| Sitagliptin phosphate (Januvia) | By mouth | Doesn't cause weight gain | May cause upper respiratory tract infection, sore throat and diarrhea; little is known about other potential side effects | High: $175 to $250 a month |
Note: Cost ranges are based on nationwide monthly averages reported in the Source Pharmaceutical Audit Suite by Wolters Kluwer Health in October 2007. Check with your insurance provider or pharmacy for details on these or other diabetes drugs.
